Steady and Ghost rely on different business models, which means your cost structure will vary widely depending on the platform you use.

With Ghost, you can choose between four pricing tiers with different features and functions: Starter, Creator, Team, and Business. The final price for each tier depends on the size of your audience, with it increasing as you acquire new members or free subscribers. This makes the monthly pricing of Ghost vary widely, ranging from €8 to €2300 per month. Additionally, there are setup costs to consider if you choose to use Ghost. Building a functioning website and membership technology will require hiring a professional developer, which may cost anywhere starting from €1,000 and upwards.

Regardless of the size of your publication and the features you use, Steady charges a 10% fee on your earnings. You can integrate the Steady product into your website with a few simple clicks, cutting all setup and development costs. Ultimately, there’s no upfront cost in starting a membership on Steady – you will only be charged once you start making money, and your earnings will always be higher than your costs.

The winner:

Draw. It may be more convenient to use one platform or the other depending on your goals, possibilities, and needs. If you’re up for a big upfront investment, the relative cost of using Ghost will be very high initially but will decrease as you scale. On Steady, you will get an equally professional solution with zero upfront costs, but the 10% fee may impact you more significantly once you reach larger audiences,